The Flock
This passage is a bit confusing to hear at first, because in
Zechariah’s context things seem to be going well. The people are returning from exile. Communities have become established. The work on the temple is progressing
nicely. So why would Zechariah come
among a people that appear to be headed in the right direction only to proclaim
a message like this?
I believe the answer is that appearances can be deceiving. Even the healthiest looking person can have a
cancer deep within them working upon them.
The most stately and ornate building doesn’t necessarily have health
happening within its walls. The most
glorious nation in the world may not have the healthiest of infrastructures or
unity among the people. Just because
things appear to be going well doesn’t mean that they actually are.
I believe this is the case here in Zechariah. This is another point in which we can read
the words coming after the exile and realize that the inclusion of humanity has
introduced sin into the system. Yes, the
people were changed through their exile into Babylon, but that doesn’t mean
that sin can’t rear its ugly head. In
fact, we know that it does.
Let’s look at the progression of Judaism after the exile. In order to try and not make the same mistakes
that led to the exile, the religious leaders establish a long list of legal
ordinances that must be obeyed. The
Pharisees develop as masters of how to apply the Law to one’s life and they
become impressive managers of the smallest of details. We know how Jesus responds to this cultural
dynamic when He comes upon the scene.
Jesus rebukes their legalism.
They have gone too far in the other direction!
This is exactly what Zechariah is speaking about here with respect
to the “flock.” The flock has gathered,
but the flock isn’t being the flock that God desires. They are a flock doomed for destruction,
which would be a hard word to hear having just come out of exile! They went through the motions, but their
heart was elsewhere.
I actually love this focus upon this particular dynamic of
humanity. Here’s what we can see as we
look upon the story of the Hebrew people.
When given freedom, the human heart turns away and ends up in
rebellion. When corrected, the human
heart turns to legalism and still ends up in rebellion. It is a problem of the human heart. We cannot be righteous regardless of our
focus.
Why do I love this? It’s
simple. This understanding brings alive
the incredible dynamic of truth found in the New Testament. Jesus came to atone for our sin. However, God knew that atonement is enough to
save us, be we still need more help to sanctify us. Our hearts are horribly corrupt. After Christ dies we have the Holy Spirit
come to us to dwell within us. The Holy
Spirit takes our corrupt heart and begins to transform it slowly over
time. God knows our problem is a problem
of the heart. So He sends us Christ to
deal with our human nature and He sends the Holy Spirit to deal with the human
heart. Without God dwelling within us, we
would always be a flock doomed for slaughter.
Good Shepherd
So Zechariah is told to become a shepherd over this flock doomed
for slaughter. Zechariah becomes a
foreshadowing of Christ – the ultimate shepherd. Zechariah takes into His hand the rods of
Favor and Union. Note that Christ was
about favor and union. In Christ, we see
God’s favor upon a people who do not deserve it. In Christ we also see two aspects of union:
we see that we can have union with God and we also see that Jews and Gentiles
alike can have union through our union with God.
As the shepherd, Zechariah demonstrated his superiority of the
three shepherds. We aren’t told who
these three shepherds are, but traditionally the three shepherds are thought to
be the prophets, priests, and kings. In
this act, Zechariah is demonstrating that the true shepherd will be master of
all things. He will rule over our lives
with respect to our spirituality as well as our civil action. God’s Messiah will govern all.
However, the flock under Zechariah could not bear his leadership. Soon the rods are broken. Soon favor is forgotten. Soon unity is rejected. The flock doomed for destruction is cast away
by the shepherd. God’s Messiah is
rejected.
What is sad is that the natural outcome of the rejection of God’s
Messiah is a breaking of unity. We no
longer desire God’s favor. We no longer
desire unity among each other. Look at
the world around us. Do we desire God’s
favor? Do we really desire unity?
Unfortunately, I also have to look within the church. Do we truly desire God’s favor within our
midst? If we do, then why are we a
disunited people? I heard a scary
statistic the other day. Prior to Martin
Luther, there was one Christian faith.
In the ensuing 500 years, we now have more than 30,000 Christian denominations. I can’t help but wonder how many of those
denominations are a direct result of rejecting the unity that should come from
being under Christ.
Worthless Shepherd
Then Zechariah is told to portray a wicked shepherd. The wicked shepherd comes because the flock
rejects the true shepherd but they realize they still need to follow
someone. So they follow anyone. Like the humans they are, they follow a
shepherd that only cares for himself and not for the needs of the flock. When we reject the true shepherd, we are only
left with imposters who can’t help but lead us into wickedness.
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